From Social Work to the Stage: Dr. Kelly Maldonado Builds Seravida and Vozavida Around One Idea

Dr. Kelly Maldonado, DSW, LCSW, runs two companies, but she describes them with a single mission: “helping people heal, find their voice, and stand in who they are.” One is a clinical practice. The other puts her on stages, at podiums and at wedding altars.

Maldonado is the Founder and Clinical Director of Seravida, LLC, a virtual therapy practice specializing in OCD and related disorders, including trichotillomania, excoriation, body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and phobias. Seravida serves clients in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Kentucky. In November 2026 she launched a second company, Vozavida, LLC, for speaking, ministry and officiant services.

A Career That Started With Advocacy

Maldonado began as a young social worker fresh out of college, serving people experiencing homelessness and advocating for them in court. “The pay was pennies, but the work was priceless,” she says. “I fell in love with standing up for people who felt voiceless.”

That calling carried her through a master’s in social work at Rutgers University and a doctorate at Monmouth University. Along the way she studied abroad in India, examining the reintegration of mental health with a concentration in global studies, and attended Campaign School in Connecticut for training in public leadership and advocacy. She now has more than a decade of experience in mental health and social work.

Before opening her private practice, Maldonado ran therapeutic groups at a partial care program and created the therapeutic content for them. Her doctorate included an education track in curriculum design and teaching, and she recorded a presentation for Seton Hall University, “Shelter is a Human Right,” which is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSNs67elVJc). She was inducted into the Phi Alpha National Social Work Honor Society in both her master’s and doctoral programs.

Why a Second Company

After years of helping clients find their voice one session at a time, Maldonado says she realized she was being called to bigger rooms. “I spent my whole career standing up for everyone else,” she says. “Now I teach others to stand in who they are, too.”

Vozavida is the vehicle for that shift. Through it, she speaks at universities, conferences, corporations, and women’s and Latina leadership events on mental health, resilience and living authentically. She also leads workshops on burnout prevention and organizational wellness, and, as an ordained minister, she officiates weddings and ceremonies, including destination weddings and last-minute celebrations.

The Problem She Tackles

The pain point Maldonado sees everywhere is fear and silence. “People living with OCD and anxiety feel trapped inside their own minds,” she says. “Many are afraid to even say what they’re experiencing out loud, because they worry they’ll be judged or misunderstood.” In her view, the condition quietly steals identity, confidence and voice.

Her answer works on two levels. Clinically, she offers specialized therapy that helps clients face their fears, break the cycle and rebuild who they are. Publicly, she uses speaking and workshops to give audiences “the language, tools, and courage” to do the same in their own lives and workplaces. “My clients don’t just manage symptoms,” she says. “They get themselves back.”

Science, Soul and Stage

What sets Maldonado apart is the combination. She is a doctor of social work and licensed clinician, an ordained minister and officiant, and a speaker. “I bring the science, the soul, and the stage in one person,” she says. She is also a proud Latina and the daughter of Brazilian immigrants, and she brings that perspective into rooms that do not always hear from women like her.

Her message is deliberately different from the usual self-improvement pitch. “It’s not ‘fix yourself,’” she says. “It’s ‘come back to yourself.’”

What Comes Next

Vozavida, LLC launches with its new website, vozavida.com, live now. In 2027, Maldonado is focused on growing Vozavida: expanding keynote and workshop bookings with universities, conferences and organizations, developing continuing-education courses for clinicians, and growing her officiant services. She has her sights set on national mental health and OCD conference stages, where she plans to bring her signature talk, “Relearning Yourself After OCD.”

Her advice for other founders is simple: “Start before you feel ready, and don’t wait for permission. Your story is not your weakness, it’s your credential. Done and real beats perfect and silent, every time.”

Maldonado is now booking keynotes and workshops, and ceremonies for 2027. To check availability, follow @vozavida_llc on Instagram or email dr.kellymaldonado@gmail.com, or visit vozavida.com. Her company’s tagline sums up the approach: “Calm in the now. Confidence in the next.”